The Georgetown Metropolitan

Photo by Bryan Alexander.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Some adorable “tree gnomes” along the canal (although they look more like tree rabbits to GM).
• The Hoya reviews Mono Diner.
• Jonathan Alder store will close by Easter.
• Tudor Place hired some goats for lawn care!

GM’s off to Jamaica for the week! See you in April!

(But before he goes, GM had promised to pass on that there will be a community day event at Mt. Zion at 2:00 pm on March 31st. Come over to 1334 29th St. for a lively service with gospel choirs and step dancing troups!)

Dumbarton Oaks

Well, if you were planning on taking up GM’s idea and restoring the Little Tavern to Wisconsin and N St., too late. Word is that a Smoothie King is taking over the space.

Ehh. Could be better, but could be worse. Georgetown is not exactly drowning is smoothie shops, so this will probably satisfy some hankerings. But a chain restaurant is still a chain restaurant, and brings yet more genericism to the neighborhood.

GM has no information on when they will open, but would guess summertime.

Photo by Beyond DC.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The Kitten Cafe’s got commercials now. (Did you know there’s a “kitten season”? It’s way more depressing than it sounds!)
• If the city finally builds this (after years and years of planning) it could seriously improve transit connections for Georgetowners to downtown.

3100 block of R St.

One of GM’s favorite things about spring in DC is the blossoming of the saucer magnolias. These beautiful pink flowers sprout out with the first real warm days of March. But their early appearance also makes them susceptible to late frosts, which can wipe out the blooms overnight. Luckily the forecast looks good for a solid season this year.

Just two years ago, we had an early warming spell followed by a hard frost. And it did ruin the season’s magnolia bloom. The warming spell we received last week certainly triggered the pink blossoms to emerge, but the ten day forecast indicates that there is no hard frost on the horizon. So it should be smooth sailing! Continue reading →

Photo by Bill Starrels.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• GU expands its footprint downtown.
• French Market coming back April 26th.

Dumbarton Oaks Park

Photo from Washington Post/Bill O’Leary

Yesterday, Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. The Council, prompted by an ever expanding scandal, officially voted to reprimand Evans. In addition, while he held on to his position as chairman of the finance committee, Evans’s oversight of tax abatements, the convention center/Events DC, and the Commission on the Arts and Humanities was stripped from him.

A visibly shaken Evans addressed the Council and the public by saying:

I brought embarrassment to this council, to myself and my family. Going forward, I will work tirelessly to restore the trust of my constituents, of my colleagues here on the council and of the residents of the District of Columbia.

This apology is in line with the sparse previous public statements he’s made on the subject. For instance, on March 8th, on the day that news broke that the U.S. Department of Justice had subpoenaed the Council for emails specifically related to Evans’s dealings with donors and major city contractors, Evans spoke to the DC Democratic State Committee. He had this to say:

I want to take this opportunity to say I’ve made some very big mistakes. In retrospect, I would have done things much differently. I want to take this opportunity to apologize to all of you in this room. Earlier this week I apologized to the residents of the District of Columbia, my colleagues on the city council, to my children for embarrassing them. There’s no one more horrified about what I did than I am. And I’m asking for your forgiveness. I know many of you are angry. And I don’t blame you. My goal now, going forward, is to rebuild the trust that I have lost. And I will worked very very hard to regain the trust of the state committee, the residents of the District of Columbia, and everybody I represent in Ward 2.

No one could doubt the sincerity of Evans’s contrition. And it has surely been a grueling several weeks.

But what exactly is he sorry for? Continue reading →